Baby-carriage attachment.



J. E. BOWES '& L. P. SEARFOSS.

BABY CARRIAGE ATTACHMENT.

.A PPLICATION HL-ED SEPT-1411911..

Patented Aug. 13,1918.

INV ENTOR arfass WITNESSES ATTORNEY 0.. wasumaruu. m'c.,

UNITED STATES PATENT orrro JOHN E. BOWES AND LAWRENCE r. snezeross, 0F LAPonrn, INDIANA.

BABY-CARRIAGE ATTACHMENT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 13, 1918.

Application filed September 14, 1917. Serial No. 191,443.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that we, JOHN E. Bowns and LAWRENCE P. SEARross, citizens of the United States, residing at Laporte, in the county of Laporte and State of Indiana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Baby-Carriage Attachments, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to baby carriages, and it relates particularly to a combined wheel-truck and sled of improved construction.

The primary object of this invention is to provide a baby-carriage which can be instantly converted into a sled, and vice versa, for use on streets which have been cleared of snow on certain parts while the snow remains on other parts.

Another object of this invention is to provide a device of this character which is simple of construction, easilyoperated, compact, strong and durable, thoroughly efficient .and practical, and which may be manufactured at a cost but slightly greater than the cost of a baby-carriage of ordinary construc- 'tion.

Other objects and advantages will appear from a comprehension of the following description and claims, in connection with the appended drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a form of the device which constitutes our invention, the sled or sleigh runners being in their operative position;

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the device, the wheels and body and a portion of the frame being omitted, the sled runners being in their operative position and therefore being partially hidden; I

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2, except that the runners are folded upward into their inoperative position;

Fig. 4: is a rear view, the runners being in their operative position, and the wheels beembodied herein.

The members 15 are preferably formed with cylindrical bearings 16, by bending the ends of these members in an even curve, so as to embrace the respective upper portions of the runners which will now be described. Each runner consists of a ground-engaging runner member 17, a rectilinear rod or upper runner member 18, two legs or struts 19, an intermediate strut 20 and an inclined bracerod or strap 21. The runner member 17 is preferably formed of T-bar, and the lower ends of the members 19, 20 and 21 are riveted or otherwise secured to the upwardly extending flange of each T-bar runner member and are preferably curved around the rectilinear rod 18 which is preferably cylindrical and constitutes a shaft or hinge element vwhich extends through the curved portions 16 of the cross-bars or bolsters 15.

The height of the runners may be substantially equal to half the distance between the rods 18, which distance is substantially equal to the length of the member 15, so that when the sled-runners are in their inoperative position, as shown in Fig. 3, their ground-engaging portions will be juxtaposed. However, these proportions may be varied without affecting the inventive idea involved.

For the purpose of returning the runners from their inoperative position to their operative position, we have provided a pair of springs 22 each of which is coiled about the rear end of a respective one of the rods 18 and has one end engaged with the rear leg 19, as illustrated at 23, while its other end is engaged at 24 with a plate 25. The two plates 25 are secured on a supporting beam 26 by means of bolts or rivets 27 while the ends of the beam or bar 26 are curved around the rods 18. and also constitute bearings, in addition to the bearings 16, in which the rods 18 are adapted to turn.

"Each plate 25 is provided with an aperture secured to a respective one of the legs 19,

and is in position to slide up and down through the respective apertures of the plates 25 when the runners are raised and lowered or rendered inoperative and operative. These segmental members 28 are each provided with a head or shoulder 29, which rests upon the respective plate 25 and constitutes a stop for limiting movement of the runners to which it is secured, when said runner is swung from inoperative position to operative position.

In order that the front part of the runners may also be limited in their movement and braced against any tendency to move outward beyond their respective operative positions, we provide the front legs 19 with arcuate or segmental stop members 28, similar to those which are provided for the rear legs, but the apertured plates, designated by the reference character 30, are somewhat different from the apertured plates 25, there being no extension to the plates 38 for engagement with the spring ends, as is the case with the members 25. The stop plates 30 are secured on the front bolster 15.

The intermediate legs 20 are each provided with a loop or staple 31, and to each of these loops 31 is pivotally connected one end of the link 32, while the other ends of the links 32 are connected by a rivet or pivot 33 to an actuating rod or handle member 34, the latter being provided with a handle 35. A bracket 36 is secured to the support 26, and constitutes a guide through which the handle member 34 may be moved longitudinally and may have the required amount of lateral movement for operating the links 32 in raising and lowerin the runners, as hereinafter described. The member 34 is provided with front and rear notches 34 which are adapted to engage with the member 36 for holding the handle member 34 in its front and rear positions respectively. 1

In using this device, let it be assumed that the mother or nurse is pushing the carriage on snowless ground or sidewalk, the wheels being in operation while the runners are folded up into the position illustrated in Fig. 3. Presently, the carriage is propelled to a place where there is snow, and it is only necessary to release the handle member 34 from its locking engagement with the guide member 36; it being understood that any ordinary means may be employed for effecting a locking engagement of the member 34 with the guide 36; but we preferably provide the handle member 34 with a notch 34 in its lower edge, which engages with the bracket 36, while the second notch 34 is provided for engaging with said bracket to hold the links 32 in the position illustrated in Fig. 2, so as to prevent accidental movement of the sled-runners from operative position toward inoperative position. \Vhereupon, by holding the body 10 with one hand, while pushing the handle forward, the runners 17 are spread apart and come into contact with the ground, and the wheels are raised therefrom, until the runners assume their respective operative positions; so that the wheels are raised out of operative position, and the snow is crossed by means of the runners. hen clear ground is again reached, it is only necessary to grasp the handle 35 and pull the handle member 34 rearward, thus releasing said lockingi engagement thereby causing the springs 22 to pull the runners inward and upward against the body, and the handle member 34 may then be placed in locking engagement with the guiding member 36, so as to retain the runners in their inoperative position until they are again needed to substitute the wheels 11.

Although we have specified and described our invention as applying to a baby carriage, it is to be understood that we do not limit our invention to such application, but that the invention is also applicable to gocarts, boys express wagons, buggies, wagons, and all wheeled vehicles to which this device is capable of application.

From the foregoing it will be readily seen that we have invented a combined carriage truck and sled which is of great utility, and which it is believed will meet with very great public favor and commercial success.

What we claim as our invention is:

1. A folding sled comprising a pair of runners, a pair of bolsters to which said runners are pivotally connected, a pair of springs coo erative with said bolsters for moving sai runners from inoperative position to operative position, means co6perative with said bolsters for preventing movement of said runners beyond operative position, and means for returning the runners from operative position to inoperative position against the tension of said springs.

2. A folding sled comprising a pair of runners, a pair of bolsters to which said runners are pivotally connected, a pair of springs cooperative with said bolsters for moving said runners from inoperative position to operative position, means co6perative with said bolsters for preventing movement of said runners beyond operative position, means for returning the runners from operative position to inoperative position against the tension of said springs, and means cooperative with the last said means for locking said runners in said inoperative position.

3. A folding sled comprising a pair of ground-engaging runner members, a pair of rectilinear rods secured respectively to said ground-engaging members, a pair of bolsters having their ends curved to form cylindrical hearings in which said rods are pivotally mounted respectively, a pair of springs cooperative with said bolsters and rods for moving the ground-engaging mem-, bers from inoperative position to operative position, means for preventing movement of the ground-engaging members beyond 0perative position when moved from inoperative position, and means cooperative with said rods for moving said ground-engaging members from operative position to inoperative position and retaining them in said inoperative position against the tension of said springs.

4:- A folding sled comprisin a pair of ground-engaging runner mem ers, a pair of rectilinear rods secured respectively to said ground-engaging members, a pair of bolsters having their ends curved to form cylindrical bearings in which said rods are pivotally mounted respectively, a pair of springs cooperative with said bolsters and rods for moving the ground-engaging members from inoperative position to operative position, means for preventing movement of the ground-engaging members beyond operative position when moved from-inoperative position, and means cooperative with said rods for moving said ground-engaging members from operative position to inoperative position and retaining them' in said inoperative position, the last means also being operable to prevent accidental move ment of said ground-engaging member from operative position toward inoperative position.

In testimony whereof we affix our signatures in presence of two witnesses.

JOHN E. BOWES. LAWRENCE P. SEARFOSS. Witnesses:

RALPH N. SMITH, JOHN KERR.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for Me cents each, by addrening the "commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G." 

